Adivce/thoughts on how to get A+ certified while working

In My Humble Opinion
1

I work on an IT help desk at the moment. I like the job fine but it is not something I want to do for the rest of my career. I am looking to move into something more indepth and I realize that I will need some more knowledge/skills.

I spoke to one of the second level guys where I work and he said the best thing to start with is to get A+ certified because it is covers a broad area of subjects and it will give me more knowledge.

I would like opinions and advice on the best way to get this certification. I have thought about various online courses, but I have not investigated this in depth. I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on this, but I can afford to pay a reasonable price. I want to be able to keep working while I am doing this as well.

Does anyone have any advice, opinions, anecdotes etc?

2

I’d just take the test. If you already work in IT, odds are you’ll pass the test with ease. It’s not at ALL a challenging thing. If you’re worried, drop $20 on “A+ Certification for Dummies”, or some such, and give it a read. But anyone who already works in IT should have NO problem getting A+ certified.

3

Yep. Just buy a book. If you have a clue already, it’s a pretty easy pass.

Consider it just a building block. The saying in the biz back at the boom was “Be closer to the keyboard than the screwdriver”. Twas true back then, and the A+ is pure screwdriver, but there is something to be said about knowing how stuff works. Most of the IT people I know who have been hit by the mass layoffs were purely “keyboard”. They also were making mor than me, so they may have been cut for that as well. I suggest you aim for being well tounded in your IT education. Don’t spend a ton of money on classes until you need to. Most of the certs you can pass by buying books, studying, and futzing around. Once you can’t, then do the course study, but there’s no reason to spend 1k for an A+ or MCxx entry level stuff.

Just a heads up, a lot of IT professionals have been laid off in the last 3 years. You may well be competing in the job market with people with high levels of experience. If you’re thinking “hmmmmmmm, nursing, or IT?” you may want to reconsider the IT angle.

4

A+ Certification is a joke. It is ridiculously easy to pass if you even after a basic working knowledge of the inside of a computer.

You just need to memorize small things like interrupt assignments and how many pins certain types of RAM have.

You can self-study easily at home. Buy a book and I bet you’d be ready to write it within a week.

5

Thanks for all the input, guys. This is not at all what I expected to hear and raises a couple more points.

Point the first: I would like to learn more about hardware and software. I don’t have much experience of rummaging round in a PC and I know mostly what all the bits are but that is about it. I was always too nervous to mess with my own PC in case I broke it (although I have installed extra memory, an ethernet card, and CD drives before).

Point the second: This is actually a question. What certification or training would benefit me the most? I was told A+ by a guy at work, but that is all I have looked at so far. Is there something else that you think would be more beneficial? (Besides switching fields, although I appreciate the idea, NurseCarmen. I would look lousy in the uniform. :))

Also, how important is the hands on stuff? Is it useful (career-wise) to learn about actually installing and configuring hardware, learning about BIOS, etc?

I want to do something to kick start my career. I am thinking of second level support at the moment, but I am open to other options, although I know one of my strengths is working with the computer-illiterate.

6

I just wanted to bump this thread so that people who do not have access over the weekend can see it and to update some information.

I have bought myself an A+ study guide type book which is called “A+ Complete study guide” and is by David Groth. It is published by Sybex. I am hoping to read 30-60 minutes a day during breaks in calls at work.

7
      • Is “A+” certification a Microsoft thing? Or is it just a general tech certification offered by… who?
        ~
8

It’s administered by CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association. Their certification page has more information.

9

I’ve been A+ certified for going on two years now. It was during CompTIA’s latest change in the structure and level of knowledge of the tests.

Of course you know that it is sponsored by CompTIA which is an organization (non profit IIRC) that standardizes this certification.

They are not run by any computer product vendor or manufacturer except for a recent teaming up with Microsoft to produce a new class of certification that hangs on the MCSE tree. It is called the MCSA. The A+ certification applies only to IBM based computers.

So CompTIA is neutral, and therefore viewed as stable. As in, Consumer Reports, Switzerland, and the Better Business Bureau are also seen as neutral.

To get the A+ certification you have to take two tests. It doesn’t matter which order you take them, but they must both be passed within 60 (maybe 90?) calendar days of each other. The first test is hardware and the second test is software.

Typical hardware question:

A computer will not boot. When the power button is pressed, the computer makes three successive beeps, but never fully boots up. What is most likely the source of the problem?

Typical software question:

What is the DOS command to delete an entire tree directory?

Each test is multiple choice, and somewhere between 50 and 60 questions. You have a limited time to take the test, about two hours, which is more than enough time.

The certification used to never expire. But from what I hear, the latest version of it expires after two years. The previous A+ certifications were grandfathered in.

Each test costs 125.00, pass or fail.

Work during the day. Go home and study at night. Since you are already in the field you probably don’t need to pay for a class. Schedule the test. Skim through one of the books that was mentioned a couple times, highlighting possible problem areas. Download a braindump at www.braindumps.com to cram for a week before the test. Don’t panic. Go in there confident. Don’t speculate on the nature of the question, just answer it straight forward. Starting today, you can be A+ certified within a month.

10

Not according to the FAQ.

11

In my opinion I would advise skiping that test all together unless your job specifically requires it (like some FDA regulated pharmaceutical companies). If its a bump in pay and status you are seeking you’ll need to get away from PC support. I don’t know if you’ve looked lately, but NOBODY is hiring PC hardware support people anymore, at least not in any of the areas I have searched in. Some have speculated that rather than keep the same level of service as businesses expand, many companies choose to simply deal with the inadequacies of their PC’s, having network admins do the work, or outsource it to contractors when it builds up enough to really affect their work. I advise getting into networking if you like PC support, its the nearest equilivent where you may actually be able to make a good living. But that takes a great deal more training and education than the A+, something to consider. IMHO the A+ is worth very little these days. They want you to have a college degree to work a friggin help desk now.

12

I’m the senior tech in my IT department and only one of the eight people I work with is A+ certified (it’s not me). I’d hazard that we could all pass the tests with no sweat. The cert might get your foot in the door when you’re looking at an entry level job in an MIS department at another company.

Some suggestions:
Hang around with some of the senior support staff if you’re able and they’re willing in your spare time. The stuff you can pick up from experienced people is priceless.

Convince your manager to get you some training in server administration. I did this and am now Windows 2000, Exchange, and SQL server certified.

BIG money can be made if you’re Cisco certified, either as an Administrator or even more as an Engineer. That’s if you’re into hardware.

If you prefer software, web development such as XML and Java, C++, VB, and mainframe development tools. Peoplesoft consultants can make six figures if they’re willing to travel for extended periods of time.

Certifications are kind of like college degrees; they look good on a resume and might get you into a live interview, but for my department, experience, attitude, and willingness to learn speak much louder.